


Pinky Promise

by morlocksandmomeraths



Category: Actor RPF, Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Fluff, Pining, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 20:34:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10670277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morlocksandmomeraths/pseuds/morlocksandmomeraths
Summary: Luke isn't intimidated by a simple babysitting gig, okay? He really isn’t. He’s performed live in front of massive audiences on West End and seen his face on the big screen all around the world. Needless to say, he’s definitely not scared of some little girls. Especially not Josh Gad’s adorable little girls. Nope, not scared at all.





	Pinky Promise

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction ever, so please be gracious and gentle with me. I'm aware of how much growth I have to do as a writer, but this was a fun starting place for me, so I really hope you all enjoy it! Also, I know that I'm probably way overshooting with Isabella's vocabulary, but I love the picture of her with Luke so much, and I just wanted her to be a big part of the story. Hope that's okay!

The front door is pretty average; tall and sturdy and probably a little expensive, but plain. Certainly nothing to be intimidated by. Except that Luke knows the man of his dreams is just behind that door. And with him, his beautiful wife and two daughters. God, he really should just turn around and feign some deadly illness because the whole situation is too absurd.  
When Josh had asked him for a favor, Luke had foolishly agreed without knowing anything, jumping at any opportunity to please like an overeager puppy. He hadn’t realized that the favor would involve going just long enough without seeing Josh to make Luke really miss him and then sleeping over at Josh’s house with the two most important little people in his friend’s life. It was all a giant domestic tease that Luke wasn’t sure he could handle.

Luke never thought that he would be trying to get into Gaston’s headspace outside of shooting Beauty and the Beast (because really, who would willingly put themselves in that guy’s headspace for any other reason?), but he found himself taking out his phone and pulling up the camera app, trying to let courage show through his eyes on the screen as he channeled his character’s outrageous self-confidence.

“You are Luke Evans, and you are clever, kind, and incredibly fun to be around. You are the perfect babysitter, and you have nothing to worry about.”

He cocked an eyebrow for effect, starting to feel even less self-assured at how silly he looked, when he heard the door unlatch. He immediately shoved his phone in his pocket and felt heat rising to his cheeks as the door swung open and he looked up into Josh’s amused eyes.

“Luke! I thought I heard your car pull up. Were you talking to someone out here?”

Luke’s flush deepened at being caught.

“Uh. Hey! No, uh…I was just singing to myself. Sorry.”

Josh’s smile widened, and he stepped back to let Luke through the door before going in for a hug.

“Of course you were singing. You’re just like me, you always have a song stuck in your head! Man, I’ve missed having you around.”

Luke returned his friend’s hug without thinking, his smell and warmth familiar by now. He and Josh were always the most tactile cast members on and off set, and Luke liked knowing that Josh wasn’t any different with him in his own home. He let himself relax into the embrace for a moment, enjoying the way Josh’s curls tickle his cheek where their heads rested slightly against each other. Then, he forced himself to pull away and gave his friend a quick once over, noticing that he was already dressed up for his date night. Date night with his wife, Luke sternly reminded himself.

Still, he found himself saying, “I’ve missed you too. You look great,” and he meant it. Josh was wearing his glasses and had a little scruff on his face, a look that Luke had always been partial to, and he was wearing a blue button down and dark dress pants that clung to the tempting curves of his hips and thighs. If he would just turn around, Luke thought he could sneak a glance at Josh’s full, practically sinful ass too. Somehow, he was sure that Josh had no idea exactly how good he looked.  
Before he could embarrass himself any further, a soft shuffling noise from behind him broke the spell. He turned to see Isabella standing with a blanket dragging on the floor behind her, her curious eyes darting back and forth between the two men.

“Izzy, my angel, can you say hi? Who is this?” Luke loved how Josh always cooed adorably when talking to his daughters.

“Lukee!” The three year old let out an excited squeal as she recognized their guest, and Luke suddenly found himself with his arms full, Izzy’s whole body wrapped around his like a koala bear climbing a tree. Josh laughed and patted him on the back.

“She’s been talking about you for two whole days now ever since I told her you’d be babysitting. You’re pretty popular in this house.”

“That’s right.” Ida’s voice carried as she descended the stairs with Ava on her heels. “And we can’t thank you enough for helping us with the girls tonight, Luke.”

She smiled as Ava made it to the last stair and immediately bolted to attach herself to Luke’s leg with her sister.

“Well I’m honored to have such a good reputation in your home. I thought Josh would have ruined my good name by now with all of his trash talk.” Luke smirked at his friend, eyes twinkling. Then Ida looped her arm through her husband’s and Luke felt a cold stone settle in his stomach.

“Believe me, I’ve tried.” Josh winked. “I have to make up for all of the inflation I did to your ego as Lefou, now don’t I?”

Luke laughed and felt Izzy eyeing him watchfully from her perch on his hip.“Well, I guess it’s time for us to be going,” Josh said. “I don’t know what time we’ll be back, so you girls be good for Luke and make mommy and daddy proud, okay?”

Josh stepped back into Luke’s space to give each of his daughters a kiss on the head, and Luke tried not to lean too far into his warmth again, grateful that the girls were occupying his hands because he just wanted to _touch_.

“Thanks again for doing this for us, you’re an awesome friend.” Josh smiled at Luke one more time, his warm brown eyes soft and full of fondness, before he grabbed Ida’s hand and the couple left the house together. Ida’s heels clicked faintly, and their happy voices mingled out the door and down the driveway.

Luke stood still for a minute after they left, recovering. Then, he let out a long sigh and set the girls back on the ground. Now the hard part was done. Josh would probably want to catch up later while he was still in town, but at least the initial shock of seeing him again after a couple of months apart was over. Besides, Luke did genuinely enjoy spending time with Josh as a friend who shared his sense of humor and always challenged him to think in new ways. It was so natural between them except that he wanted more…

“Lukee?”

Luke shook himself out of his daze and knelt down to eye level with Ava.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Can we play dress up now?”

Izzy nodded vigorously in agreement with her sister and Luke chuckled. Had he really thought that the hard part was done? He’d forgotten how much energy the Gad sisters could have.

“Yes, of course. Who are we dressing up as tonight, ladies?”

“Princesses,” Ava said decisively. “You do my hair, and I’ll do your make-up!”

She pulled out a brightly colored hairbrush from seemingly nowhere and happily bounced over to the couch, patting the cushion next to her. Luke grabbed Izzy from under the armpits and flung her onto the couch next to her sister, both girls exploding in a fit of giggles. As he stepped behind the couch and took Ava’s hair in his hands, he allowed himself, maybe a little selfishly, to feel completely at home for the moment.

***

Three hours later, with both girls in princess dresses and stomachs full of pancakes and scrambled eggs (because Luke could hardly resist Izzy’s big puppy eyes begging for breakfast for dinner), Luke was praying that the eyeshadow and lipstick smeared all over his face was inexpensive. Ida had a big sense of humor, which was almost a requirement for being married to Josh, but he didn’t want to find out where it ended for her. On the other hand, he was sure Josh would find the abstract artwork on his face completely hilarious. Just the thought of Josh’s laugh stirred butterflies in Luke’s stomach. He loved that laugh. It was the first thing that he had fallen in love with, in fact. God, why couldn’t he get this man out of his head?  
Luke glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already 8:00. Shouldn’t kids Ava and Izzy’s ages be in bed by 8:00? Honestly, the girls hardly seemed tired at all – quite the opposite in fact. They seemed to have decided that being ninjas was more fun than being princesses and were crawling around on the floor using jump ropes (and where had those even come from?!) as makeshift nunchucks. Were they just overexcited from having someone new in the house, or had the maple syrup and chocolate chips been a mistake? Luke was definitely never going to be invited to babysit for the Gad’s ever again.

“Alright, girls, it’s time for bed,” Luke coaxed, using his most charming smile that always won Izzy over to his side. Two curly little heads popped up from behind the couch, eyes wide and mouths open in protest. Thankfully, the sisters did crumble at his earnest face before the worst of the whining could start, and he only got disgruntled mumbling as they passed him to go upstairs.

“Lukee,” Izzy chimed with faux innocence as she took each step, “I really really really don’t wanna go to bed right now. Look, I’m not even sleepy!” She put her little hands up to her eyes and made a show of making big owl eyes at Luke.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Luke scooped her up and bumped the door to her bedroom open with his hip. “I know, but you really really really need to go to sleep anyway, how about that?” He set her down on top of her bed and turned to Ava who was still standing outside the door.

“You’re next Miss Ava. Go to your room, and I’ll be there to tuck you in real soon, okay?”

She nodded reluctantly and he blew her a kiss before turning back to Izzy who was now silently pouting and looking on the verge of a tantrum.

“Hey, Isabella,” Luke spoke softly, sitting down on the bed, “You know I love you very much, and I’m only asking you to get some sleep because I care about you. Now please listen to me and help me find your pajamas before I stop asking nicely.”

Izzy kept her eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed over her chest while he spoke, and Luke expected her to pull out the big guns any second and start crying, or worse, screaming. Instead, she started to look pensive as if something he had said finally registered, and her demeanor slowly softened. Suddenly, with a solemn and sincere face, she reached out her hand and placed it on his knee. Luke swallowed; he knew exactly who she had learned that move from.

“When are you going to tell daddy that you love him very much like you tell me?” Izzy spoke so quietly and seriously that Luke was sure he couldn’t have heard her correctly. His heart stopped and his tongue felt as dry as sandpaper in his mouth. The room seemed to narrow in to their little space on Izzy’s bed where she had just stripped his heart bare and put it on display for the world to see.

“What are you talking about, Iz? Of course I love your dad, he knows that.”

Was his voice shaking? This was a three year old for goodness’ sake, not the Spanish Inquisition. Deny, deny, deny – that’s all he had to do.

“No, he doesn’t know!” Izzy was getting adamant now. “He doesn’t kiss you like he kisses mommy, and that means he doesn’t know!”

Luke’s heart definitely wasn’t stopped anymore because he could feel it racing like a rabbit in his chest. It didn’t really matter what Izzy thought, she was just a kid. But if she said the wrong thing around her dad…Well, Luke didn’t know what would happen, but he wasn’t ready to find out. And if a child could plainly see that he wanted to kiss Josh so badly, maybe Josh already knew. Maybe everyone did. What a cruel joke that would be.

“I don’t love your dad like he loves your mom. I love him like a friend or the way that you love your sister.” Luke put his hand over Isabella’s and looked into her dark chocolate eyes, willing her to understand and let it go. She stared back defiantly, and a wisdom beyond her years held Luke captive by her gaze.

“No,” she said decisively. “You’re being bad, Lukee. Daddy says you shouldn’t tell lies.” She looked so sure of herself, it was frightening. “If you want daddy to kiss you, you should just ask. He always gives me kisses when I ask.”

Apparently, nothing would sway her. Damn that Gad stubbornness. Luke let go of Izzy’s hand and ran his fingers through his short, black hair while he tried to think of anything to say in his defense. He didn’t want to lie to her, but a three year old couldn’t handle the truth. Luke could barely handle it himself. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about kissing Josh let alone discussing it with his youngest daughter. Finally, defeated, he did the only thing he could think of and held up his pinky. He matched Izzy’s stern expression with his own.

“Your daddy’s right, Iz. We shouldn’t tell lies. But he’s married to your mommy, and they love each other very much. That means that he can only kiss her and Ava and you. Those are the rules. If he knew that I wanted kisses too, he’d be really mad because we shouldn’t break the rules. That would get me and him in trouble. You don’t want your daddy to get mad at me or to be in trouble, do you?”

Izzy inhaled sharply and slowly shook her head no.

“Then can you pinky promise to keep this a secret with me?” Luke extended his pinky to her and waited with bated breath. Izzy’s focus shifted between Luke’s face and his finger, her eyes squinting as she considered everything. After the most painful pause of Luke’s life, she tentatively spoke up.

“If I pinky promise, do I still have to go to bed?”

Luke stared in shock. He was dealing with the world’s youngest and most diabolical lawyer! Was he this clever as a three year old? He didn’t think so. And how unfair was it that the deepest and most secretive desires of his heart were being gambled against a child’s bedtime? Still, he knew self-preservation would win out. In weakness, he would make the trade.

“…No. If you pinky promise, you and Ava can stay up and watch a movie with me.” 

And that was all it took. Izzy giggled gleefully and curled her pinky around Luke’s. She began to wiggle in her seat, mirth and mischief lighting up her eyes.

“Lukee has a crush, Lukee has a crush…” She began to sing-song to herself, and Luke decided that Josh let her watch way too much television. How did she know what a crush was already? He would bring that up the next time they talked if he was ever able to look Josh in the eye again.

“Izzy! Remember what you just pinky promised me? We can’t talk about that anymore.”

Izzy continued to giggle to herself, but she made a zipping motion over her mouth and climbed down from the bed, waving for Luke to follow her.

“Ava! We get to stay up and watch TV! Lukee said so!”

Luke watched her bolt for a moment, frozen in disbelief, and then he grabbed a pillow, doubled over with his head between his knees, and yelled as loud as he could into the pillow. He felt like he was a famous actor with a chiseled body and decently handsome face in some other life and in this life, he was just a 38 year old chump in an unrequited love affair with one of his best friends. At least it would make a good song.

When Josh and Ida finally came home around 4 in the morning, Luke woke up to the jingling of keys and hushed voices in the hall. He sat up straight on instinct and instantly maneuvered himself between the newcomers and the two sleeping bodies next two him. Ava and Isabella barely stirred, muttering in their sleep and scooting closer together. Ava’s elbows dug into his side, and Izzy laid halfway on the couch and halfway dangling haphazardly over the edge.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Josh chimed teasingly when he spotted Luke sitting up. He and Ida crept quietly into the room, and Ida immediately set to work detangling Ava from Luke to pick her up and take her to bed.

“Ooph! Either she’s getting too big for this or I’m shrinking,” she exclaimed to the men as she began to haul Ava upstairs. Josh reached to do the same with Izzy, and he stifled a full on cackle when he caught a glimpse of Luke’s decorated face.

“You make a beautiful princess, darling,” he teased. “Honestly, you could have played Belle.”

Luke, still stretching out his stiff body and blinking himself awake, simply huffed and flicked Josh off, much to the latter’s amusement. Josh took a step towards the stairs with Izzy, but he had barely started moving before she stirred and reached back towards Luke. Still shaky from tiredness, she offered her little pinky to Luke and murmured, “Our promise” under her breath.  
Josh fixed a raised eyebrow at Luke, but the other man didn’t respond and simply linked his pinky with Izzy’s. “Our promise,” he echoed.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm considering making this into a series or a chaptered work because there's not a lot of Luke Evans/Josh Gad fics out there, and I think that is just a tragedy. Would you guys be interested in reading more? There'd be a resolution to all the pining, I promise! Also, if I did write more, would you prefer continuous chapters or a collection of short stories? Thank you for reading, I appreciate you! xoxo


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